National Feral Cat Day® Facts

Alley Cat Allies launched National Feral Cat Day® on our 10th anniversary in 2001 to raise awareness about feral cats, promote Trap-Neuter-Return, and recognize the millions of compassionate Americans who care for them.

National Feral Cat Day® is observed on October 16 every year.

The theme for this year’s National Feral Cat Day® is “TNR: From the Alley…to Main Street.”

More and more people celebrate National Feral Cat Day® each year. Since 2011, more than 1,000 National Feral Cat Day events have taken place—spreading the word and helping feral cats all over the country—and even outside of the U.S. with international events! We can’t wait for you to reach even more people with National Feral Cat Day® this year!

Feral Cat Facts

Feral cats have lived alongside humans for more than 10,000 years. They are the same species as pet cats. Feral cats, also called community or outdoor cats, live in groups called colonies and can thrive in every landscape. They are just as healthy as pet cats, but they are not socialized to humans and are therefore unadoptable.

Trap-Neuter-Return—a humane approach to managing and caring for feral cats—is the only effective method of stabilizing feral cat colonies. In the last decade, the number of local governments with official policies endorsing TNR for feral cats has increased tenfold, with hundreds of cities and towns successfully carrying out TNR.

However, in the majority of cities, feral cats are still caught and brought to animal pounds and shelters where they are killed. The shelter system is the number one cause of death for cats in the United States. About 70% of cats who enter shelters are killed there, including virtually 100% of feral cats. That’s why it’s so important for people like you to use National Feral Cat Day®, and every day, to help build more compassionate communities for cats.

Alley Cat Allies Facts

Alley Cat Allies was founded in 1990. The organization is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.

Alley Cat Allies is the only national organization dedicated to the protection of cats. We currently have more than 500,000 supporters nationwide in the movement to protect and improve cats’ lives.